


The Distance That I Fell

by kyotoma



Category: Alex Smith/Ross Hornby - Fandom, Hat Films - Fandom, The Yogscast, smornby - Fandom
Genre: Alcohol, Fluff, Homophobic Slurs, Multi, Smut, Swearing, angsty teens, school au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-23 10:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6113149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyotoma/pseuds/kyotoma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex Smith attends the prestigious Harrow School in London. He has never really felt like he belongs with the other pupils there, or anywhere really. That is until he meets some rough teens by the names of Trott and Ross from the local sixth form college nearby. The trio quickly become close and Smith realizes the feelings he's having for Ross aren't exactly just friendly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Just Want To Feel For Once That I Belong

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys so this is the first fic I've ever posted and I'm a little nervous!  
> Huge shout out to my wonderful proof reader and editor, Ryan who wasn't a Smornby fan until he read my fic lol. I have so many ideas for this one so I hope you guys enjoy it! :-)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harrow is one of the poshest boarding schools in London and it just so happens to be the one Alex Smith attends. One of the many traditions is the 10 mile run completed each year. In their last year they're encouraged to try the 20 mile course.

Smith doubled over, with hands on his thighs he gasped for air. It had been a while since he last walked, nevermind tried to run, 20 miles. He was glad the school allowed them to wear their own sports wear as looking around he realised he was in one of the rougher areas of town and took comfort in his favourite maroon shirt.  
He pushed himself on, having to stop again only a few metres on.  
"Alright mate? Not make the 20 miles today?" A voice laughed from behind the dumpsters at the opening of an alley on his right.  
Smith straightened from his double over posture, venturing slightly closer to the alley to find the person belonging to the voice.  
Two young men stood behind the dumpsters, Smith imagined they weren't much older than him, confirmed by their school uniforms.  
They each held a cigarette in hand, taking a long draw looking expectantly at Smith.  
"Wha- how did-" Smith stuttered, a range of questions rushing through his mind.  
"Wha- how- who-" mocked the shorter boy with a bob of brown hair. The taller, dark haired boy laughed, a sound Smith could only describe as enchanting. Smith found himself laughing along with the other teenagers.  
"What's your name then rich boy?" Asked the small brown haired boy after a minute of giggling.  
"Smith, you?"  
The boys scoffed and laughed again, "That's not your first name is it? Posh twat." Laughed the taller black haired boy,  
"No I bet it's something really prestigious like William or Alexander" laughed the other.  
Smith felt a blush creeping up his neck but laughed and played along "Alexander Smith, but you can just call me Smith," he answered in his poshest English accent.  
The boys laughed in surprise that one of them had correctly guessed his name.  
"Christopher Firepower Trott," laughed the smaller of the two also putting on a posh accent, "you can call me Trott though."  
"Ross Hornby," the other informed Smith, "But that's Mr. Hornby or Sir to you," he finished with a wink.  
Smith felt a blush creeping up his neck again which he quickly laughed off.  
The boys told Smith about themselves, they attended a local school, hence the smoking in an alley. Attended being used lightly as they would normally blow off school to play video games in one of the two's houses. They also lived nearby and spent most free time in either Trott's house or the local park.  
Smith told them about himself as well, keeping it vague and only mentioning his love of video games and airsoft.

The boys stood in the alley and chatted, getting to know each other for almost an hour before Smith realised the time and hastily made his way back to Harrow's. He found himself smiling on the way home, he had never really instantly clicked with anyone until that day. All of his previous friendships had required a lot of effort on his part.  
He barely made it back in time to shower before dinner.  
After dinner he got started on his Latin homework which was already a week overdue. It wasn't long before his mind had wandered to his new friends and he found his phone in his hand about to text them when a text came through from the number he had saved as Trott's.  
'Hey handsome, you busy?'  
A second text came through almost instantly,  
'Of course you are, you're a Harrow boy but can u spare some time for your new friends?? You can say it's a charity case as we're so poor lol.'  
Smith quickly responded with 'If u keep that up I'll make you an official charity case here mate. What's up?'  
Ten minutes later he'd set up his PlayStation and headset to Trott's request and with a crackling Trott appeared on the other end,  
"Alright mate? Thanks for sparing the time," Smith could hear the grin in his voice  
"All for a good cause mate. Anyway, I'm ready to ruin you in trials," Smith grinned back, already happy just to be able to spend more time with his new friends  
"Nah mate, Ross' go first. Nobody can beat Ross." Trott gave a knowing chuckle from the other end, 'He's having trouble with his head set, hold on,' Trott was gone for a moment and after a minute silence his voice came back and with a crackling Ross's voice appeared on another headset.  
"I'm gonna have to put it through a mixer so we can all hear each other," Smith could hear him concentrating and couldn't help but blush again, a wide toothy grin on his face. He hadn't been expecting Ross to join them and his stomach fluttered slightly at the unexpected appearance.

They ended up playing well into the night and it was well after 2am when Trott signed out leaving Ross and Smith to it. Smith had been running on determination alone, the need to beat Ross to prove something was the only prominent thought he had. That and how cute Ross was, for a guy anyway.  
He heard a clatter from the other end shortly before 3am as Ross threw his controller down.  
"That's me mate, I'm wrecked," Ross sighed and Smith could almost hear how tired he was.  
"Well that was impressive anyway, didn't think you'd last that long," Smith winked, only subconsciously aware that Ross couldn't see him.  
"What can I say? I'm good with my hands," Ross chuckled.  
"Anyway, night mate, I'll text you tomorrow?" He ended the end almost asking it as a question.  
"Yeah," was all Smith could bring himself to say as Ross occupied the rest of his mind.  
With a 'Night mate' the headset went quiet.  
Smith found himself lying in bed ten minutes later with a huge grin on his face and a picture of Ross in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! I'm definitely gonna be updating this one quite a lot but if you liked it don't forget to leave kudos and a comment! That'll honestly help encourage me to write and post more. My tumblr is why-brows.tumblr.com if anyone has any questions or wants to send me encouraging messages that would be cool :-) I'm also very happy to write prompts! Thank you again! I really hope you enjoyed this and sorry for rambling in the notes haha  
> This chapters named after the song Escape Route by Paramore :-)


	2. If I Ask I'll Never Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys invite Smith to his first party and he gets to know everyone and has his first experience with alcohol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So its hard not to ramble in the notes but I hope this chapters a bit more interesting! I know Smith's birthday is in May so technically this should be set in June and they should all be focusing exams I guess but oh well! I swear these will get more interesting soon :-)  
> also i am very sorry for the embarrassing lyric titles for chapters (and the whole fic) omg

Smith woke to the sound of his phone vibrating under the pillow his head lay on. He slid his hand under the pillow, answering the phone before he had even checked the caller ID.  
"Morning sunshine!" Shouted a very enthusiastic Trott from the other end,  
"What, are you like obsessed with me or something now?" Smith laughed with a sleep filled voice, holding the phone slightly away from his ear.  
"When your only friend was Ross you'd be looking for an escape too!" came Trott's smug reply, clearly pleased at his own joke. From the background Smith heard a small 'Oi!' as Ross protested.  
It was Saturday and Harrow students had lessons on Saturday’s, fortunately the lessons were usually only from 10 to 12. From Trott's side a scuffling began and Smith realised they were fighting over the phone.  
Ross' voice suddenly appeared, "We know you have lessons today but Trott wants to show you the life of a commoner after,"  
"Mate you do know I'm just like you?" Smith wasn't used to defending himself or his school but it felt oddly nice.

An hour after lessons ended for the day Smith was meeting Ross and Trott in their local park near where they had all first met. Smith had opted for a maroon hoodie and cheap jeans, hoping he could fit in with his new friends. Fortunately Ross had shown up in a super dry hoodie and Trott in a blue Ralph Lauren polo shirt.  
“The twat insisted on wearing that to impress you,” sighed Ross on Smith’s confused look at the shirt.  
“Even I wouldn’t wear Ralph Lauren mate, but good attempt,” Ross snickered at Smith’s reply. They settled on a nice area of grass in the field beside the play park.  
“So there’s a party tonight, we’ve been invited and now we’re inviting you.” Trott said after they got settled.  
“Seriously?” Smith asked, taken aback.  
“Yes you twat, why wouldn’t I be serious?” came Trott’s reply without hesitation.  
“I don’t know, it’s just… why do you guys like me so much?” Smith’s stomach fluttered as he heard the question come out of his own mouth, as if this was the point where the two boys he had become so attached to so quickly told him it was all a prank.  
Trott and Ross exchanged glances and if Smith hadn’t known better he would have sworn Ross had almost blushed,  
“I don’t know mate, something about you just spoke to us...” Ross offered after a second of silence that felt like a lifetime to Smith.  
“You…don’t look like you belong there. At Harrow's. You know?” Trott took over for his friend, “We meet a lot of twats from Harrow’s, living in London and all but I think we just knew you weren’t like that.” Happy with his answer he looked at Smith, more serious than Smith had ever seen him the short amount of time they’d known each other.  
“I don’t…belong there I mean.” Smith grew serious, picking the grass from the ground around his crossed legs. “My dad’s rich, sure and I’m smart-”  
“Cocky too,” a laughing Trott interrupted, shushed by an encouraging Ross,  
“But I don’t know, I’m just not like the other guys there. They don’t mind giving all their time to school studies and sports and other pretentious hobbies. I just think there’s more to life than that, you know?” Smith hadn’t realised he had been thinking all this out loud.  
“Hashtag deep,” was all Trott commented and they all laughed, brushing off the seriousness of what Smith had said.  
Smith looked to Ross, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Feeling his gaze, Ross pulled himself from his thoughts and reassured him, “Well come to the party tonight, get shitfaced with us and you can see all about how the other half live and all that. I’m sure your Harrow parties are nowhere near as good,”  
“You prick, stop giving him false hopes.” Trott quickly injected into the conversation, “It’s not even a party… it’s more like a bunch of us hanging out at someone’s house,”  
“So like a house party,” Ross pretended to cover up his remark with exaggerated coughs, making Smith giggle.

The boys sat in the field for a while, getting to know each other better before heading to a chippy for tea before the party, not quite party.

Walking up the path to the house sent Smith’s stomach into knots. These people he was about to meet were Trott and Ross’ normal friends and if they didn’t like him, surely Trott and Ross would realise he wasn't all that great.  
Smith focused on the house to take his mind off his nerves. The house was extremely pretty, a detached house of average size, the last in the street. It’s main feature was the pastel purple paint that coated the entire outside of the house, the evening had slowly began to creep up the sky and it was hard to see in the fading evening light but the house was definitely purple. The door stood out as a deep purple and the curtains all seemed to be various shades of dark purples.  
“Someone sure loves the colour purple, huh?” Smith joked as they had opened the latch gate.  
“Rich for a guy who only wears tops in various colours of maroon,” retorted Trott with a quick wink.  
Ross lifted his hand in a fist to knock on the door but just as his knuckles brushed the door it swung open revealing a tiny girl with black hair, longer on one side with purple at the ends of the longer side.  
“Ross! Trott!” She greeted them with a high pitched voice full of excitement; Smith assumed they hadn’t seen each other in a while. The girl turned to Smith and pulled him into a hug, “And you must be Smith! I’ve heard so much already!” she used the same voice to talk to Smith which he took reassurance in, returning her hug with one arm in a nonchalant, loose grip.  
Ross identified her as Kim after she had pulled them all into the house forgetting to introduce herself.  
In the living room there were only three other people, a tall blonde haired boy with glasses and a well-groomed beard was known as Duncan. The second was a gingered hair boy, Simon; he seemed to be slightly older than the rest and also wore glasses with a less groomed beard. The last was a boy about Smith’s age known as Lewis; he had slightly spiked dark hair and a kind smile. They had individually introduced themselves to Smith, coming over to get to know him as well. He had got on quite well with them all so far, all seeming to have a similar sense of humour to his own. More and more people had been showing up until there were nearly 30 people crammed into the living room. Smith had gotten most names and thankfully he was naturally good at remembering names. It was helpful that most of them had cool nicknames like Strippin and Dodger, Turps and Panda…to name a few. Around 8pm somebody had decided that everyone had arrived and began to hand drinks out from a kitchen counter filled with various bottles of alcohol. Even though Smith had turned 18 the month before, he had never drunk more than a glass of champagne at Christmas or New Year’s. He somehow found himself wishing he had met his new friends earlier so he could have celebrated his birthday with them, they surely would of made it more special than the solo gaming session he’d had. He found himself pulled from his thoughts by Ross appearing in front of him with two drinks in hand. He seemed to have already had a few drinks. He offered one to Smith and Smith nodded his thanks. Taking a sip, he almost choked on the taste,  
“What the fuck is that?” he grimaced and laughed taking another sip to get used to the taste.  
“Vodka and red bull,” Ross laughed back almost tipping his cup right back and downing his own in one, “Not much of a drinker then mate?”  
“Mate, you’ve seen the school I go to. You think we have raging parties there every weekend?” Ross laughed and Smith found himself mesmerised at Ross’ laugh again, a common problem these days.  
Smith had still been mesmerised when he realised Ross had been away and come back with fresh drinks already. Following Ross’ example Smith downed this one in one go. Just then a commotion had started in the living room and Smith followed Ross to investigate.  
It had seemed two new guys had appeared, they were similar in height, slightly smaller than Smith –not that that was hard. One had dark hair, barely visible under an American baseball cap. The other had a head full of very thick luscious light brown hair, complemented by the most amazing moustache Smith had ever seen, although it did make the guy who was a similar age seem a lot older. Smith noticed their intertwined hands and couldn’t help but stare. His gaze was broken as he felt hot breath on his neck, he jumped, realising it was just Ross trying to tell him something over the loud music and cheering.  
“Sips,” Ross nodded to the guy in the baseball cap, “and Sjin,” Ross nodded to the other moustachioed guy.  
They seemed to be the life of a party and everyone was cheering at their arrival and laughing at something the one called Sips had said.  
“Are they like tog-” Smith had started to ask but when he had looked to Ross he had realised Ross’ attention had been stolen by a stunning teenage girl in a sparkling dress who had never been introduced. Smith felt the butterflies in his stomach again, suddenly realising he had no one to talk to. Walking over to the drinks counter he poured himself a concoction of different alcohols, feeling lonely as both his friends’ attention had been stolen by girls. He downed the concoction in one. Reeling from the taste alone, Smith suddenly felt a strong hand on his elbow, steadying him; he turned, meeting the face of the guy who had been introduced as Sips.  
“Woah there Kermit, you’re looking a little green. I think you need to slow down,” he laughed and Smith smiled awkwardly as he tried to find his footing.  
"Yo, Ross, your new boy toy's looking a little barfy!" Sips called over to Ross and Smith noticed his accent which he immediately identified as Canadian. Another arm on his elbow as a tipsy Ross nodded a thank you to Sips and he took his leave, off to find his boyfriend probably.  
“You alright mate?” Trott asked appearing at Smith’s other side, looking more to Ross for an answer.  
“Sorry mate, I didn’t want to distract you from your flirty friend,” Smith avoided Ross eyes. His eyes flew up to Ross’ face when a hearty laugh came from both him and Trott.  
“Sorry, did I miss something?” Smith asked, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.  
“Not exactly Ross’ type mate,” Trott left Smith and Ross with that comment and pat on Smith’s back making Smith blush more.  
“Let’s get you to a bed,” laughed Ross and Smith didn’t argue as the effects of the alcohol began to hit him, making his head feel too heavy for his body. Ross slung one of Smith’s arms around his own neck and began to almost drag him to the stairs, He was determined to keep the current bottle of vodka in his free hand.  
“What did Trott mean?” Smith asked, the alcohol filling his voice with naivety. He took another swig and passed it to Ross who took a swig too.  
“Mate, I’m as straight as a fuckin’ roundabout,” Ross laughed, slurring his s’ slightly.  
“You’re gay?” was the last thing Smith remembered before more or less passing out in Ross’s arm

Smith woke the next morning to a pounding headache and a dead weight on top of him. He opened his eyes to tufts of dark hair and moving his head to the side he realised the dead weight was a person lying almost fully on top of him, the single bed explaining why they were so close. He then realised it wasn’t just any person but Ross. An almost naked Ross, the only thing he was wearing was his boxers. Looking down at himself under the dead weight of Ross’ almost apparently comatose body, Smith realised that he too was only in his boxers.


	3. Cough It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smith's an ignorant ass and then spends the rest of the chapter making up for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this ones longer which I'm happy with!! The next chapter is well under way too. The next one will probably have some smut so I'll update the tags. This one has some homophobic slurs. Thank you for reading and all the kudos omg!!

“Shit...” Smith looked around the room at his discarded clothes. Moving slowly and holding his breath he tried to remove himself from under Ross. He unsuccessfully ended up with more of Ross’ weight on top of him somehow. His entire face and neck flushed red as he realised Ross’ bulge was pressing right into his own groin, the only thing separating their dicks was the thin fabric of each boy’s boxers. Smith gave up trying and using more strength than necessary he pushed himself out from under Ross, determined to remove himself from the awkward position before Ross woke.  
Ross stirred at the sudden loss of heat, groaned loudly and rolled over onto his back as Smith began to locate his pieces of clothing.  
“Morning sunshine,” Ross groaned, stealing Trott’s favourite phrase.  
Smith ignored him as he pulled on his jeans and wriggled them up over his hips.  
“Alright mate? My morning breath’s not that bad is it?” Ross chuckled and the bed shifted as he sat up. Smith could feel Ross’ eyes on his exposed back.  
“Did we…” Smith’s voice was quieter and raspier than he had hoped, “We didn’t, you know…did we?” Smith asked as he turned to face Ross, filling his voice with forged confidence he accidentally made himself sound angrier than planned.  
“What the fuck?” Ross was thrown by the accidental anger in Smith’s voice, “Smith, no! You spilled your vodka over both of us and we didn’t have any other clothes.”  
“Oh… it’s just ‘cause you’re gay and I was drunk and…”  
“What the fuck?” Ross asked again, this time anger beginning to fill his own voice.  
“You think I’d take advantage of you? Like I’m some kind of sick asshole who can’t get laid or something?” Ross anger turned to hurt as his voice softened, “What the fuck Smith?”  
“Oh god no…I didn’t mean…” Smith didn’t know what to say, wishing he had just kept quiet.  
“Oh man I thought you were different…” the hurt etched on Ross’ face hit a nerve deep within Smith and he turned, flinging the door open in frustration with himself for being a twat.  
He stormed downstairs, shirt in hand, heading for where he remembered the door to be  
“Hey Kermit’s up!” He heard a Canadian accent calling from the living room where the guy Smith remembered as being called Sips sat, his boyfriends head in his lap and a steaming cup in his hands. Smith rolled his eyes and looked around for his discarded hoodie. Realising he hadn’t yet put his shirt on he pulled it on over his head. His head popped through the neck hole as he noticed Trott in the kitchen doorway,  
“So what were you and Ross up to then mate?” Trott winked, “Dirty bastards,” Trott had meant it as a joke but a new wave of irritation flew through Smith as he was reminded of his own idiocy. He simply answered Trott with the slamming of the front door as he made his –rather loud- exit.

It wasn’t until a lot later that night that Smith heard from anyone. He had received various friend requests from people he had chatted to at the party but nothing had come from Ross or Trott. Smith had been playing trials for an hour when the message popped up on the bottom right of the corner, ‘Trottimus is now online’, followed by a request to join his game. He hesitated but accepted anyway. Pulling his headset up from his neck to his ears he decided to check if Trott had wanted to talk as well as play.  
“Alright mate?” Trott asked from the other side.  
“Yeah,” answered a reserved Smith,  
“Cooled down any then?”  
“Mate, you know I can’t change how hot I am.” Smith made an attempt at a joke but his heart wasn’t in it.  
“Ross told me what happened,” Trott answered after a few minutes of silence. They were still sitting on the menu screen of trials.  
“Yeah…”  
“He hasn’t talked to me since he left this morning, won’t text me back,”  
“Oh…”  
“You didn’t mean what you said…did you?”  
“Look mate, I think Ross took it a bit too seriously. Any bloke would have assumed what I did when they woke up like that.”  
“Yeah…except he said you acted a bit weird when he came out last night too,”  
“I don’t know mate, I don’t remember much…” Smith held his breath as he waited to hear his new friend’s new opinion of him.  
“Alright mate, I’ll be honest with you. We’ve never taken to someone as much as we took to you. Ross, especially. I think there was a bit of a miscommunication but I know you’re not like that and I want you to make Ross know that too. I don’t think he wants to lose you so soon and I think we work really well as a trio…” Trott stopped but he seemed to be thinking so Smith said nothing, “Talk to him at least,” was all he said before signing off.

Smith sat in silence for a couple minutes, the controller still in hand. He checked the time, it was pushing 9:30pm, the Harrow curfew was set solid at 10:30pm. He only had an hour. ‘Fuck it’ he thought, pulling on shoes and a hoodie.  
He slipped out unnoticed, luckily the gates hadn’t been locked for the night yet. He wasn’t sure what he’d do when he got back but he couldn’t worry about that just yet. Pulling his phone out of his pocket he hit the call symbol beside Trott’s name and began to walk in the general direction he knew Ross’ house would be.  
“Alright mate? I’m taking your advice; can you give me Ross’ address?”  
“Uh…yeah sure, I didn’t mean you had to go to his house but yeah…” Smith made a mental note of Ross’ address and quickened his pace.

It was well after half 10 by the time Smith found the right house. He looked up at it from the small, barren front garden. It was nothing special from the outside, an average size semi-detached house but Smith could tell the inside would have a certain charm to it, judging by the curtains and various trinkets on the windowsills. Smith’s hope faltered in his chest as he realised all the lights were out. A side gate about the same height as himself stopped him from checking the back of the house for any sign of life.  
He pulled his phone out again, finding Trott’s number and hitting call once again.  
“Mate, which room is Ross’?” Smith whispered into the phone, conscious of the fact he was standing in Ross’ front garden.  
“What the fuck mate, can’t you go through the front door like a normal person? Instead of climbing up to his window like a horny teenager.” Trott laughed at his own joke towards the end, sounding friendlier than earlier which gave Smith a newfound boost of confidence that Ross would forgive him.  
“I think he’s asleep and I’d rather not wake up the entire family…”  
“You’re a right twat; alright…It’s round the back. Top left window. You’re welcome!” and with that, Trott was gone again.  
Walking to the side gate Smith fit his hand through the gap in the planks and found a latch, hoping it wasn’t locked and just stuck he gave it a hard tug. It slid across and the gate creaked open noisily.  
Examining the back of the house Smith began to cook up a plan. The kitchen had been extended at some point meaning there was a piece of roof that was only one storey high that he could stand on and knock directly on Ross’ window. Beside the kitchen roof were the family’s wheelie bins which Smith hoped would take his weight. Just as Smith had finished brewing up his brilliant plan and was about to put it into action, the light in Ross’ room burst on and a second later a sleepy (and shirtless, Smith noted) Ross appeared, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
He opened the window, “Smith? What the fuck are you doing here?”  
“I don’t have a stereo to blast music up to your window but I was hoping we could talk?” Smith offered with a small smile.  
Ross sighed and closed the window, disappearing. The light went out and Smith wondered if that had been Ross’ way of telling him to fuck off respectively. Just as Smith considered leaving, the kitchen light flicked on and Ross appeared at the window of the back door, a signature super dry hoodie now accompanying his tartan pyjama bottoms and bare feet. Smith met him at the back door. Ross opened his mouth to speak but Smith didn’t let him, starting right in immediately.  
“Look, mate, okay…I didn’t mean what I said. It was really ignorant and stupid, I didn’t mean anything against you and if I seemed weird about you coming out I can honestly say I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not like that, you know? We haven’t known each other long but I really like you and hanging out with you guys just feels more natural than anything else. I hope you can forgive me. I know I’m an asshole and I’ve made my peace with it, I hope you can make peace with it too.” Smith grinned at the last part, proud of himself for getting everything out even though he hadn’t any clue what to say when he started. He searched Ross’ face for emotion, his confidence wavering when he found none.  
Next thing he realised Ross had closed the gap between them, bending down slightly as he stood on the kitchen step and their lips were touching. Smith naturally relaxed into the kiss, finding himself transfixed by the softness of Ross’ lips. He pulled back, ignoring his thoughts of returning the kiss and praying for the red that flushed his face to go away. He found himself angry, worried that everyone had seen him as something he wasn’t.  
“What the fuck? D’you think I’m fucking easy or something? I’m not like, your bitch or whatever the fuck you think I am…what the fuck?” Smith blew up, having trouble keeping his voice low.  
“Oh god…I’m sorry…it was just cause you came all the way here and you said you liked me and I just thought…” Ross was flustered, covering his red face with a hand.  
Smith couldn’t bring himself to look at Ross. “I’m not a fucking pansy,” Smith couldn’t stop the words coming from his mouth and his hand flew up to cover his mouth in shock. He finally looked at Ross’ face. It was a mixture of anger and pain; he looked at Smith like he had been physically slapped.  
“Shite, no I didn’t mean-” Smith tried to take back what he said, wishing the ground would open and swallow him whole but he was interrupted by the slam of Ross’ kitchen door. A slam that was so hard the kitchen windows shook. Smith stood in stunned silence for what seemed like forever before turning and briskly making his way home, slamming Ross’ gate behind him and not caring if it even shut properly.

The next week flew by as the radio silence from both ends continued. Smith tried to focus on his classes but if it had been hard before, it was ten times harder now. Every time he sat down to focus on something his mind wandered to the feeling of Ross’ soft lips against his own.  
Every time he shook the thought from his mind and worked harder on concentrating.  
By Saturday he was going stir crazy, avoiding his old friends in school and the concerned calls from his mother that came most evenings. He finally felt like he was going to lose it on Saturday after the day’s lessons had ended and the thought of the rest of the weekend empty and looming in front of him. He checked his phone for the millionth time, expecting nothing. 3 new messages.  
He held his breath as he clicked them.  
Trott: You still an asshole?  
Trott: I think Ross misses you more than he wants to say. Twat.  
And finally one from Kim: Hey! Trott gave me your number, heard how much of an ass you were but you were a funny ass so we’re having a Sjindig tonight (at Sjin’s…obviously) and I think you should come. Ross and Trott have been pining over you all week and hey, everyone deserves a second chance! Love Kim xoxo  
Smith took a few minutes to read over Kim’s message a couple times before replying, ‘Thanks Kim, good to know they miss me as much as I miss them. I’m gonna try and make things right. Thank you and see you tonight? :-)’  
He received a reply only a few minutes later confirming and giving him Sjin’s address. Luckily they all lived fairly close and Smith remembered seeing the street on his way to Ross’.  
That night he found himself picking out his nicest jeans, a skinny fit pair of dark blue jeans that made his ass look amazing, his favourite maroon shirt and a pair of brown combat boots. By 6:30pm he had left Harrow’s and was on his way to Sjin’s place. He arrived shortly after 7, his nerves building up during the walk had left him a nervous wreck by the time he reached the door. Fortunately Kim answered the door and pulled him into a comforting hug and through the door.  
Sjin’s house was fancier than the others he had been to so far, obviously more expensive than Ross’ and definitely bigger too. Kim let him go too soon, opting to lean back and slap him lightly on the arm.  
“Whatever you did, you deserve a harder slap. You’re lucky I like you,” She winked at him. Signalling at him to follow her, she walked through the still small collection of people, some of them looking at Smith with uneasy looks and Smith wasn’t sure if it was because he was still the newest member or because they had heard of the fight he’d had with his new friends. Kim lead him to a sofa in the corner of the living room where Trott sat, his fingers intertwined with a red haired girl sat beside him.  
“There’s a very sorry boy here to see you Sir,” joked Kim. Trott looked up at Smith in shock at seeing him there, “Snivelling and everything, really unpleasant. Sjin’s never gonna get the snot out of the carpet,” Kim tried again and a small smile broke out on Trott’s face which he quickly covered up with a scowl.  
Trott and the red head shared a look and she stood, breaking their joint hands. “I think I’ll go get some drinks,” she smiled a genuine at Smith, a reassuring sight. As she was leaving she gestured to her seat, telling Smith to sit in it.  
“Alright but I’m not holding your hand like she was,” Smith made an attempt at a joke and Trott smiled slightly. “Look, yeah, okay I over reacted and I know what I said was like really, really fucked up. I swear I didn’t mean it…” Smith waited to hear the verdict from Trott.  
“Ross wouldn’t tell me exactly what happened.” Trott sounded sad and Smith waited to see what else he was planning to say.  
“As far as I’m concerned you seem genuinely sorry…” Trott sighed after a while. “Are you gonna tell me what you said?”  
“You wouldn’t look at me the same mate. I don’t think Ross will ever forgive me.”  
“I think…I think he’s missed you like a lot, he won’t see anyone or text anyone back. He wouldn’t even come online for our weekly GTA night on Tuesday…” Trott seemed hesitant to tell Smith all this but Smith was grateful he had.  
“I mean…what I said was bad yeah, don’t get me wrong but he’s known me for like two weeks, literally. Why is he so upset?”  
“Look mate, that’s something that’s really not my place to tell you about but you know, he’s had a rough past and he keeps himself very…guarded. But with you it was different. He opened up more than I’ve ever seen him do, even with me sometimes.”  
Smith didn’t know what to say.  
“So that’s why we like you so much, accepted you into our little group instantly. It means a lot to me that you mean a lot to Ross. But I swear to God this is your last chance. Make things right with Ross and then don’t fuck it up again ‘cause I can tell you missed us as much as we missed you,” Trott continued. Smith breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of another chance with the friends he had grown to love almost instantly.  
“Is he coming tonight?” Smith asked, determination burning in his chest.  
“I convinced him to, yeah, he should probably be here soon,” Smith nodded and noticed the red head watching them from the kitchen,  
“So who’s your friend anyway?” Smith asked, genuinely interested in this girl and how happy Trott looked at her mention.  
“Katie,” Trott smiled, a full grin plastered on his face.  
“She seems really lovely, I’m happy for you mate. Enjoy,” Smith left it at that, knowing that Katie was busting to come back to Trott’s side. Before he’d fully stood up, she was back; blushing at Trott’s wide grin upon seeing her and Smith left them to it. He wandered into the kitchen to fix himself a drink and to steady his nerves. He had learnt from his previous mistake and this time simply fixed a red bull with a perfectly measured single shot of vodka, Ross’ favourite drink. He also conveniently found Kim in the kitchen. She came over when she spotted him smiling at her like a cat that had just got the cream.  
“It went well then?” She was excited for him.  
“Yeah…it did. Part 2 just needs to be put into place. Making Ross forgive me…” Smith’s smile faltered as he knew it wouldn’t be easy.  
“I’m on door duty anyway so I’ll let you know when he’s here and I’ll also find somewhere for you to talk. I got you covered,” Kim giggled as Smith felt a surge of fondness for the small girl who was helping him fix his mistakes.  
Smith had only downed two drinks when Kim came to find him.  
“He came!” She almost squealed excitedly, “He’s upstairs, he doesn’t know why but he’s waiting! Commence with the grovelling!” She giggled ushering Smith towards the stairs.  
“Last door on the left!” She called as she pushed Smith up the first couple of stairs, Smith trying not to spill the two drinks he had in his hand. One for Ross and one for himself, a peace offering. Trott had noticed Kim’s efforts and joined her at the bottom of the stairs.  
“Don’t fuck it up!” He called  
“Thanks mate, very reassuring!” Smith called back down the stairs, laughing with fake confidence.  
Outside the designated room, he stopped and took a big gulp of air before using his elbow to turn the handle and push the door open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading!! New chapter should hopefully be up soon :-)


	4. The Only Exception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smith tries to make up with Ross and ends up making OUT with Ross instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah...theres some smut in this chapter. It's not great but hey, it's something. I tried this one a bit more from Ross' pov and I kinda liked that so I might do some more of that.

Ross arrived at Sjin’s house just before 8pm. He didn’t know why he’d bothered to even come at all, lying in bed playing GTA V sounded like a much better idea. If only his brother hadn’t been home bugging him all day to go out and get some fresh air. And it had been important to Trott that he came.  
He pressed the doorbell and sighed, at least he could escape his thoughts for a couple hours, sure that Smith wouldn’t be there. As far as Ross knew, Trott hadn’t been in contact with him either so there was no way he could of known about the party. At the thought of Smith his stomach fluttered but he quickly pushed it away, taking the last drag of his cigarette and stubbing it out on the wall. After what felt like an eternity the door opened and a very happy Kim squealed with delight at his arrival.  
“Come in, come in, come in!” She looked like she was holding back from physically jumping up and down.  
Ross smiled half-heartedly and followed her through the door where she immediately stopped again, Ross almost bumping into her.  
She turned and took him by the hand, leading him to the stairs.  
“Where are we going? I should probably let Trott know I’m here…” Ross couldn’t even put effort into his voice, letting it sound tired and bored.  
“Trott knows, it’s okay! You remember where the guest room is? We have a special surprise for you! Go up and make yourself at home…” Kim’s mischievous smile made Ross nervous. He narrowed his eyes at her, suspicion written on his face.  
“Honestly, this isn’t a prank Ross. You’ll thank me for this later,” She grew serious for a moment. Ross sighed and nodded his compliance, heading up the stairs two at a time.  
Finding the last door on the left he entered the plain guest room and looked around. At least he couldn't see any cameras for the inevitable prank that was probably going to happen. It was a plain room, cream walls with a large double bed centre of the room. Not much other furniture apart from two bedside tables, a plain chest of drawers and a large wardrobe. Ross perched on the edge of the bed, taking his shoes off. May as well, having no idea how long he would be waiting. He got his phone out, originally planning on scrolling through Facebook or something he found himself writing a new message to Smith. ‘Hey…’ he typed, instantly deleting it without sending. ‘Can we talk?’ he tried again, shaking his head he deleted the message again, locked his phone and put it in his pocket. Surely if Smith wanted to talk, he would message Ross first. The silence on Smith's side was beginning to drive Ross crazy though, he hadn’t updated his Snapchat story or Instagram or Facebook in days and Ross was beginning to wonder if he’d dropped off the face of the Earth altogether. ‘Maybe he lost his phone?’ thought Ross, immediately knowing that wasn’t true. He’d just have to accept the fact that Smith was a homophobic asshole and move on. He’d only known the guy two weeks, why was it so hard? Ross shook his head and got up to put his shoes back on. It was a waste of his time being here and he was planning on just leaving when he heard Kim’s voice from the bottom of the stairs.  
“Last door on the left!” She had called. Ross couldn’t hear a reply. Then he heard Trott’s voice calling ‘Don’t fuck it up!’, surely they hadn’t set him up on some sort of blind date or something? But in Sjin’s guest bedroom, surely not. Ross froze when he heard the reply this time, ‘Thanks mate, very reassuring!’ came the reply. It was Smith.  
“Fuck,” Ross jumped into action, pulling his shoes on and opening the large bedroom window. He swung his leg up on the window sill, analysing the two floor drop. Behind him he heard the door handle opening and he spun to face it as the door slowly swung open. In the doorway stood Smith looking better than ever in his maroon shirt and a pair of jeans that looked so good from the front Ross could only imagine the view from the back. Completing the outfit were a pair of brown combat boots that complemented Smith’s long legs more than Ross would have ever thought. Ross swore at himself in his mind for being so distracted and met Smith’s eyes. Smith’s eyes widened in shock as he took in the scene, Ross’ hand still on the window handle.  
“You were gonna jump out a second floor window to avoid me?” Smith asked, the scene finally clicking.  
“I panicked,” Ross felt his cheeks burning, “I wasn’t expecting you…” he closed the window.  
“I mean, that’s fair. I probably deserved that.” Smith came further into the room and offered Ross one of the drinks in his hand. He accepted the drink and nodded his thanks, unable to verbally say it as he was already downing the drink.  
“Probably should of brought more…” Smith offered Ross his own drink in the other hand which Ross also downed in one. “Can we talk?” Smith gestured at the still open door waiting until Ross had finished both drinks and set the cups down on the chest of drawers to ask. Ross nodded and Smith closed the door gently. Sinking down onto the bed, Ross couldn’t find anything to say. Smith crossed the room and sat on the bed beside Ross, leaving as much room as possible without actually leaving the bed. A fresh sting of hurt hit Ross as he looked at Smith across the space between them.  
“I didn’t plan this far ahead,” laughed Smith awkwardly, avoiding Ross’ gaze.  
Ross sighed, realising he had gotten his hopes up for no reason; he got up and crossed the room hand on the door handle before Smith could react.  
He felt Smith’s hand on his elbow, trying to stop Ross from leaving and he spun throwing Smith against the wall beside the door. Ross had one hand on the wall beside Smith’s head and other a fistful of bunched fabric of Smith’s shirt. In throwing him against the wall Smith had slumped down ever so slightly making them at eye level to one another.  
“You are the biggest asshole I know,” Ross growled at Smith.  
And then they were kissing, Smith closing the gap this time. And Ross was letting go of Smith’s shirt, opting to tangle it in a clump of auburn hair instead. And Smith, oh god Smith was kissing him. He wasn’t kissing Smith, it wasn’t like before when Ross realised that he had instantly been rejected. It was different. It felt…natural to be kissing Smith. And to have Smith kissing him back.  
And then something changed. Smith wasn’t just kissing him, he was really kissing him. He spun them so Ross’ back was against the wall and Smith was nipping at his neck and leaving little hickies along Ross collar bones. A wave of anger surged through Ross and he used it to push Smith backwards, his legs buckling as they hit the sides of the bed. Ross ached for his lips again, crossing the room and climbing on top of him faster than he’d ever moved.  
Their lips met again with so much passion Ross’ head spun. He hesitated, his need for Smith wavering as he took Smith’s own feelings into consideration.  
Smith made it very clear he wasn’t gay, where had this come from? The last thing Ross wanted was for Smith to regret their encounter. Smith had taken Ross’ moment of hesitation to rid him of his shirt, the cold air nipping at Ross’s bare torso. Ross broke their lips and Smith took that opportunity to take his own shirt off. Ross’ studied Smith’s exposed chest, taking every line and detail in. Ross ran his hand up Smith’s stomach, feeling the toned flesh and praying this image would never leave his mind. Smith flipped them so Ross was lying on the bed beside Smith instead of on top, his lips finding Ross’ again.  
“Wait…Smith…” Ross panted, trying to catch his breath after Smith had literally taken it from him, “You said you weren’t…I mean…are you sure?” Ross made sure his eyes met Smith so he could study the feelings on his face.  
“Fuck…yes…there’s nothing I want more…fuck,” Smith was panting himself as he took Ross hand and guided it down to his crotch and Ross felt his hard bulge through the fabric of his jeans. Smith’s hands undid Ross’ belt and before Ross could ask if Smith was sure again, Smith had a hand down his jeans and was stroking his dick with a firm hand. Their lips clashed together again, Ross groaned into Smith’s mouth at the contact. The strokes were almost painfully slow and steady at first and feeling Smith grin against Ross’ lips, Ross knew he was teasing him. Ross groaned again and Smith quickened his strokes. Within minutes Smith had Ross on the brink of coming and Ross was biting his tongue and holding his groans, strangely louder than usual. With a powerful last stroke Ross was coming with a load groan, “Shhhh,”Smith grinned and silenced Ross further by placing his lips against Ross’. Ross tried to catch his breath, all the while his thumb rubbing small circles over Smith’s dick through his jeans. After he had caught his breath Ross undid the button on Smith’s jeans, pulling them down to his thighs. Smith slid his own boxers down as Ross leant his head over began to plant small kisses along his crab ladder. Ross enacted his revenge on Smith, his kisses trailing down, directly past his erect cock to the top of Smith’s right thigh. It was Smith’s turn to groan as Ross kissed back up, around and down to the top of Smith’s left thigh. Ross grinned up at Smith, his lips still attached to the skin at Smith’s hip as he left a small hickey.  
Ross finally took pity on Smith as he watched his hands twitch, aching for contact and Ross took him into his mouth. Ross heard a sharp intake of breath from Smith as he built up pace fairly quickly, not wanting Smith to have to wait anymore.  
Smith’s breathing got heavier until eventually he couldn’t hold his groans in anymore; fortunately he was conscious of keeping them quiet. Smith’s hand naturally rested on the back of Ross’ head and he found himself pushing Ross’ head to match the pace of his bucking hips. They built up a perfect rhythm.  
“Come for me Alex,” Ross murmured, his hand taking over for his mouth as he talked.  
“Fuck,” groaned Smith at what Ross assumed was the use of his first name. Ross watched as with one more buck of Smith’s hips, he threw his head back as the muscles in his thighs tensed up and he came. Ross couldn’t help but grimace as the salty taste of Smith’s cum filled his mouth and he swallowed, trying to get the taste away as quick as possible.  
“Fuck,” sighed Smith as Ross lay on the bed beside Smith. Luckily they had managed to keep the bed clean and cum free. Ross slid his hand across the bed, finding Smith’s and intertwining their fingers. Smith, returning the pressure of Ross’ grip, used his other hand to tuck himself back into his jeans and button them. He looked over at the grinning Ross and couldn’t help but to return the smile.  
“We should probably talk…soon,” Smith broke the silence after a couple minutes,  
“Soon…yeah…” Ross could barely keep himself awake. The past week of sleepless nights began to catch up on him and he buried his head into Smith’s shoulder, physically unable to keep himself awake any longer. “Wake me up…soon…” and with that, he was asleep.

Smith didn’t wake him up soon. Or at all. In fact, when he woke it was due to morning light shining directly through the window on his face. Also highlighting the empty pillow that lay next to him. He subconsciously reached out, as if his hands would find a body he couldn’t see. There was nothing, not even any lingering heat to signify Smith hadn’t been gone long. Ross ignored the sharp pain in his chest as he stood and replaced the pieces of clothing Smith had removed the night before.  
Downstairs he found a number of sleeping teenagers, obviously continuing with their party as Smith and Ross had only existed in their small world.  
Sjin’s living room consisted of a range of different sofas littered about the room, small groups of friends all draped over each other on them. In the corner he heard Trott’s snores before he saw him, due to the fact he was hidden, wedged in between a sleeping Sips and Sjin. Ross kicked the only bit of Trott that wasn’t hidden by another body, his foot which stuck out awkwardly under Sips.  
“Good luck, I already tried…” the soft Scottish accent came from the kitchen doorway where Katie stood, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. Ross smiled fondly at her. She gestured at her cup, “Want some?” Ross nodded and followed her into the kitchen where she flicked the kettle on to boil and began to assemble the coffee.  
“So…good night then?” She smiled coyly at Ross but caught the worry in his eyes he had been trying to hide and dropped her smile.  
“Yes, I mean, don’t get me wrong…it was good,” Ross blushed at his poor choice of wording, “I mean Smith, he’s great…” Ross flustered as he made things worse.  
“I mean I like him.” Ross tried to justify his awkward wording.  
“So you guys banged?” she laughed, “It’s okay, you know…it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”  
Ross couldn’t stop the blush creeping up his neck.  
“Yeah…I guess…can you let me tell Trott myself?” Ross worked hard to collect his nerves, calmed by Katie’s casual attitude.  
“Oh god yeah, of course man. I feel like there’s a but in here somewhere…?” Katie handed him the cup of coffee and he added his own sugar and milk.  
“I never know where I stand with him. He’s so hard to read,” Ross sighed deeply. “He shows up at my house and jokes about holding a stereo up to my window, says he likes me but he gets offended when I kiss him cause he’s not gay and then…last night,” Ross blushed again.  
“I asked him to wake me up and he just leaves?” Ross let the hurt and confusion seep into his voice.  
“Sounds like Smith doesn’t know what he wants,” Katie nodded, “Sometimes you have to be the one to help them decide,” She laughed and Ross smiled knowingly as he remembered how it had been with her and Trott.  
“Look, I’m sure he only left because he had to. You know yourself what Harrow’s is like. I’m sure he’s somewhere right now waiting for your call…” Katie offered with a reassuring smile.  
“You’re probably right,”  
Ross found Smith’s name on his phone hitting call and praying Katie was right. It went straight to answering machine and Ross’ face fell  
“Or…he’s sleeping. It’s still only…” Katie checked the time on her own phone, “It’s only 8am, I’m sure he went back to sleep and he’ll see you called and call you back right away!” Katie almost gushed to try and reassure Ross and he couldn’t have been more grateful. Just as he was about to ask about her own love life, Sjin entered the kitchen.  
“Hey guys, how’d it go last night?” Sjin smiled pitifully at Ross, “Saw Smith leaving last night,”  
“Wait, Smith left last night?” Ross asked, confusion clouding his face  
“Yeah, he came down, told everyone you wanted to be alone, took a bottle of vodka and left…” it was Sjin’s turn to look confused.  
“What time?” Ross asked, dread filling his voice.  
“Couldn’t of been later than 10pm,” Sjin answered, thinking back on the night.  
That arse had left as soon as he had passed out.

Smith paced his tiny box boarding room, he took tiny sips of the stolen vodka at each length he crossed the room. He checked his phone again, it was still only 11pm. Maybe he should go back; maybe Ross hadn’t woken up and noticed his absence yet. Maybe he could slip into bed beside him and ignore the sick feeling in his stomach. He blamed the nausea on the vodka anyway.  
Ross’ piercing eyes bore in Smith’s mind, as Ross had held him pinned against the wall, they were all Smith had seen and they hadn’t left his mind since. They were all he could think about.  
And the events that had unfolded after he closed the gap between them…it had been amazing, Smith couldn’t deny that much. He had definitely enjoyed it. It was him that had instigated it too, he wanted it. He wanted Ross. Wanted to feel the soft skin of his lips and then it hadn’t been enough…Smith had wanted- no. Smith had needed more.  
But he wasn’t gay.  
He couldn’t be gay.  
He punched the pillow on his bed. With nothing better to do, he climbed into bed fully dressed and went to sleep, pushing the thoughts of Ross out of his head.

Smith tossed and turned all night. As it turned out, getting those piercing blue eyes out of his thoughts wasn’t as simple as it sounded. They haunted his dreams. He had the same dream over and over, in it he would wake in Sjin’s guest bedroom and realise he had been the one left there alone. Reaching across the empty bed, feeling his heart sinking. He woke up sweating.  
Sitting up immediately he searched his bed for his phone, needing to hear Ross' voice. He really needed to stop falling asleep with it in his hand. Just as his fingers gripped the cool metal, his bedroom door swung open and his father stepped in. Already red in the face with anger, “Alex. You have some serious explaining to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna apologise here for the terrible smut and also idk, I'm worried this chapter seems very jumpy and predictable, might just be me but I hope you guys enjoyed anyway :-)  
> *also because I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, I just wanted to say I'm not being completely ignorant of any sexualities other than gay and straight, that is coming up and it will be addressed*


	5. Fire Meet Gasoline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross' goes to see Smith at his school to see where they stand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a while!! thank you for all the kind words omg and I hope you enjoy :-)  
> p.s this one turned into quite a sappy one so sorry if u barf lol

Smith’s dad ranted for almost an hour straight. The school had phoned him to let him know that Smith was not only failing at least two classes but had taken several unauthorised trips off campus over the past week, including an overnight outing. The head master had also reminded Mr. Smith of their standards and expectations. A message that he then relay to his son. One Smith had heard many times. In every language offered at the school too, including Latin. When Mr. Smith was done ranting, he sat on the end of his son’s bed, looking content. He pulled his son into a rough hug and ruffled his auburn hair, “I’ve missed you. You drive me crazy but I do love you.”

Smith’s father was a kind man, both his parents were kind. He loved them for that. Mr. Smith was the stereotypical business man, always on trips or out of town or just plain busy. Smith never saw him much for that reason. He had fond memories of his childhood summers spent accompanying his dad on business trips, all their spare time spent fishing on small lakes in America or visiting football games all over the world. Smith’s father had wanted the best possible education for Alex, genuinely believing that lay in Harrow’s. Even with their ridiculous traditions and standards, they did have the guaranteed best exam results in the whole of the UK.

It was after 11am when Smith and his dad finished talking, catching up on the past few months they had been apart. Now that Mr. Smith had heard all about his son’s last couple of months, he became serious again.  
“We do have to sort this out. I know you like being here, to get away from home but I booked a hotel room nearby. I’m gonna stay a couple days and then if you can get your marks up, I’ll leave you to it again. Sound fair?”  
Smith nodded his agreement, he was worried about his dad staying and finding out about the new life Smith had settled into so quickly but he was also glad. He didn’t get to see his dad much and maybe he could use the added pressure to get back on track.

Smith finally got a free minute to check his phone when his father stepped out with a phone call, only to find his own phone had died. He sighed and plugged it in to charge. Just as the phone vibrated twice, a sign of it coming back to life, his dad stepped back into the room.  
“I don’t think that’s a great idea…” He unplugged the charging device. “That was your mother on the phone, we’re serious about you working hard. I’m sorry. You can have this back when I see a sign of improvement.”  
Smith panicked, Ross would think he had gone cold again. Even though that’s what Smith had been planning, he found the idea excruciating, putting Ross through that again. What if he couldn’t explain to Ross? What if Ross wouldn’t let him? Or better yet thought Smith’s excuse was shitty and didn’t believe it.  
Mr. Smith must have noticed the worry on Alex’s face as he sighed,  
“Okay…I know how much this means to you. I’m too soft for my own good. But I know you’ll only be more distracted if I take it. I know. If you take at least a couple hours now to study…you can have it back.” 

Ross was pacing Trott’s room for what seemed the millionth time.  
“For God’s sake Ross. Sit down!” Trott groaned from the bed where he had slumped under the covers in his hungover state.  
“Maybe if you could handle your liquor…” Ross snapped, stopping himself before he said something to seriously annoy his only friend.  
“Why are you so touchy today mate?” Trott sat up. Ross ignored him, checking his phone again. It was past midday now. He had only text Smith once after the phone call this morning, not wanting to seem clingy but desperately needing to know where they stood.  
“Smith wont text you back?” Trott realised, “You guys made up though, right? He said he couldn’t stay any longer but that he thought you were gonna be okay again…” Trott recalled the party,  
“He talked to you before he left?” Ross spun to face Trott.  
“Yeah, said Harrow’s was cracking down on curfews and he wasn’t even supposed to be out at all last night. He seemed…I don’t know. Distracted? Distant?” Trott rubbed at his forehead like he was trying to physically rub his headache away. “Are you gonna tell me what happened?”  
“No.” Snapped Ross. Planning on saying nothing else on the matter he sat down at Trott’s computer desk, his fingers drumming a beat into the solid wood.  
“For fuck’s sake, mate. Whatever it is, stop taking it out on me and my poor, poor head!” Trott slumped back into his pillows, hand on head again.  
Ross began to pace the room again.  
“We fucked and now he won’t call me back.” Ross couldn’t stop the statement bursting out of him. He instantly covered his mouth with his hand. He hadn’t meant to tell Trott like that but it had been eating him up inside.  
Trott immediately sat up straighter, “Fuck.” He studied Ross’ face, “What happened? Are you okay?” Trott’s concern for his best friend was somewhat comforting,  
“Ugh…okay we didn’t fuck exactly. We just did some stuff. I don’t know mate.” Ross sighed and sank into the computer chair, “He wanted to…he said he wanted to and then...he said he wouldn’t leave. I asked him to wake me up. I’m trying to convince myself he crashed when he got back and he’s just still asleep or something,”  
“Hey maybe todays that day Smith was telling us about, the day the head boy has to give the 20 minute speech in Latin,” Trott attempted to crack a joke but got no response from his concerned friend.

At 2pm Ross couldn’t take anymore. Trott’s plan of distracting him with GTA hadn’t worked and Ross had only ended up infuriated at seeing the wasted screen pop up over and over, that and he was worried about Smith ignoring him.  
“Alright mate. That’s it. I’m taking the wisdom I received earlier and going over there. Taking things into my own hands.” Ross had already pulled his coat on.  
“Wait, wait…who’s advice?”  
“Your girlfriend’s,” Ross winked and he was out the door before Trott could say another word. Trott somehow knew Ross hadn’t been trying to be funny as Katie’s words had come out of Ross’s mouth. Trott had seen them talking in the kitchen that morning, before he was able to wedge himself from under Sips and Sjin and join the conversation.  
He got out of his makeshift pillow mound and chased his friend, already regretting it.

They stopped off at Ross’ on the way, it was only a street away from Trott’s anyway. Ross changed into his most expensive pair of jeans and a plain white button up shirt. Luckily Trott had been wearing his newfound favourite Ralph Lauren shirt, so they looked the part. Ross was still nervous about his plan.

They walked at a brisk pace, not wanting to wait any longer and Ross’ nerves worsened on the walk. They stopped outside the front gates as Ross examined the grand building in front of him with shaky hands. He’d seen pictures of Harrow but standing in its shadow now was very different.  
“We’re not getting in that way,” Trott stated, nodding at the security guard and barrier of the front gate. “We can go in the side gate,”  
“How d’you even know there is a side gate?” Ross inquired,  
“Smith said something about it but I’m not sure…”Trott’s confidence faltered.

They walked around the entire fence of the enormous school, finally finding a gate on the last side they looked. They successfully slipped in unnoticed and Ross followed Trott to a central building that they hoped contained an office at least.  
Inside they found an older woman sitting behind a computer in a glass office.  
“We’re looking for the dormitories,” Trott told her with a warm smile,  
“I’m sorry…Can I ask who you are?” She asked the question sternly but with a small smile that showed she wasn’t as stern as she seemed.  
“Oh yes, sorry…we’re visiting my uh, brother…” Trott stated with false confidence,  
“Of course. Can I ask his name and form please?”  
“Alex Smith, sixth form.” Trott’s confidence flowed easily now as the lies formed faster in his mind.  
“Of course. I wasn’t aware Alex had any other family visiting. I’ll sign you in. Can I ask your first name?” the woman spoke as if she personally knew Smith and Trott panicked.  
“Christopher,” Trott smiled, using his full name for emphasis.  
“And your friend?” She nodded to Ross,  
“Ross Hornby…a family friend,” Ross smiled, following Trott’s faked confidence.  
The woman smiled, writing their names in a large black book titled ‘Visitors’ and directing them to the dormitories.  
They found their way without any problems, the task much easier than they had first anticipated. Outside the room they had been told was Smith’s, Ross froze. The soft strumming of an acoustic guitar came from inside the room. Ross stepped closer to the door, his ear raised and almost pressing against the solid wood.  
“Shite, he’s amazing…” Ross was almost transfixed into place by the gentle tune accompanied by a soft humming of lyrics. Trott laughed at his friend’s dreamy look.  
“Alright lover boy, what are you waiting for then? Might even get a private serenade…” Trott winked and chuckled at his friend’s hesitation, “You have to find out one way or the other…”He grew serious.  
“Maybe this was a bad idea…maybe we should just go.” Worry became apparent with Ross’ tone and on his face and Trott frowned.  
Already regretting what he was about to do, he knocked Smith’s door and broke into a sprint down the corridor. Leaving a horrified look on Ross’ face, ‘Sorry!’ he had called on his way out the door, hearing the dorm room door open right as he felt the cold air hit his face.

Smith put the guitar back into place as quickly as possible and jumped up, slipping a pen behind his ear to make it look like he had been studying. He crossed the room quickly; opening the door to what he thought was his father with a cheeky grin.  
“Ross?” Smith was taken aback at the slightly shorter boy stood at his door in a white button up shirt that complemented his eyes.  
“Oh, were you expecting someone? I shouldn’t of come…” Ross turned to go, clearly hurt at Smith’s shock.  
“No! Wait!” Smith reached out to grab Ross’ shoulder but fell short as Ross turned immediately back anyway. “Wanna come in?” Smith grinned at him, opening the door wider. Ross shyly slipped past Smith into the room.  
Smith looked down at his ratty old pyjama bottoms and grimaced, door still wide open.  
When he had closed the door and turned back to his quest, he noticed Ross had been looking at the pyjama bottoms too…or Smith’s ass, a slight smirk on his face.  
“Let me explain! I got in a bunch of shit for leaving campus without permission and I’m failing a couple classes so my dad, he took my phone and I swear I was going to call or text!” Smith gushed, pleading with his eyes for Ross to believe what sounded like a shitty excuse. Ross nodded a shy smile on his face.  
“Thank God,” He laughed after a moment of silence as he took in what Smith was saying, “I thought you were avoiding me…”  
“I mean, I can’t lie to you…I left…as soon as you fell asleep. I felt like such an ass but I couldn’t stay, I didn’t know what to say when you woke up…”  
“Because of what happened?” Ross let the panic slip into his voice,  
“Not exactly, because I was such a homophobic ass and then I kissed you and then…yeah. I thought you’d ask why and I don’t know…yet,” Smith crumpled onto his desk chair,  
“Smith it’s okay to be confused…” Ross placed a warm hand on Smith’s shoulder for reassurance and Smith rested his own hand on top.  
“I was just…worried you’d want answers. I don’t have any to offer yet…”  
“Alex,” Ross used his first name to show the sincerity of what he was saying, “I don’t expect anything from you. I know it’s not easy…” Ross paused, deep in thought, “You think the first guy I ever had feelings for was a fucking walk in the park?” Ross laughed,  
“I know how hard it is to admit and how hard it is to deal with those feelings, especially when it’s always just been assumed you’re straight, but you know you don’t have to think it all through alone…”  
“I know…” Smith sighed, “I’m just too fucking stubborn for my own good,”  
Ross sat on the bed facing Smith and smiling reassuringly at him.  
“Then let’s talk about it.” Ross spoke with a tone of finality which Smith found… quite hot.  
“Okay.” Smith took a deep breath before starting, “I know that I have feelings…for you. I think I knew the moment I met you. Your laugh literally mesmerised me and your eyes…and your lips…God. I can’t get the fucking softness of your lips out of my head,” Smith paused to let out a shaky laugh,  
“I’ve never thought about it I guess. Just always assumed I liked girls, dated girls. I was always called a lady’s man and I guess I just thought it was the way things were supposed to be. I never considered…anything else. Until you came along. And I knew I liked you. That night when you kissed me and I said…what I said. I was just deliberately being a prick; I didn’t know what to think. I was so confused but somehow kissing you felt natural and when I tried to make it up to you, it’s like I couldn’t help myself but kiss you. Then it wasn’t enough, you know? I just wanted more of you…” Smith laughed awkwardly again and Ross opened his mouth to make a joke but Smith kept going, unable to stop the flow of honesty now.  
“And now I’m still confused because I think I’m still sort of into girls…” Smith finished as he analysed Ross’ slightly concerned face and quickly added “But I know I am very into you…” He grinned, happy with his speech.  
Ross sat for a while, taking Smith’s words into consideration. Smith grew nervous as the deafening silence continued, opening his mouth several times and closing it again; not sure what else to say.  
Ross stood and Smith copied, worried Ross was going to leave. Ross crossed the room and pulled Smith into a light kiss, their lips barely brushing.  
“You don’t have to be gay ‘cause you fancy me, you fucking prick,” Ross laughed, parting their lips.  
“I know…but…am I bisexual?”  
“You are whatever you want to be,” Ross grinned and this time it was Smith who connected their lips lightly.  
“Right now…I just wanna be yours…” Smith grinned coyly and Ross stepped back, covering his mouth with his hand he pretended to throw up,  
“Sorry-” He pretended to throw up again, “It’s just that, that’s the most disgusting thing you’ve ever said to me...” They both giggled as Ross pretended to throw up once more, finding each other’s arms once again.  
Smith brought his lips to Ross’, the kiss beginning gentle; barely a brushing of lips. Ross’ returned the kiss by deepening it, parting Smith’s lips with his tongue. Smith’s hands cupped the back of Ross’ neck as he pulled Ross closer and Ross’ hand carded its way through Smith’s hair, the other tracing his jawline. Neither of them wanted to break the kiss to breathe, both of them wanting to hold that moment as long as possible.  
Thankfully neither of them had to break the kiss as the gentle sound of the door opening did it for them, they jumped apart as Smith’s father stepped into the room.  
Smith studied his dad’s face as he broke out into a sly smile,  
“Ah…I realise now it wasn’t so much of a what, as a who that was distracting you from your studies,” laughed his father as he stepped closer to the two boys and offered a friendly smile and a warm hand for Ross to shake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg so sorry this one took so long, trying not to ramble again but all of the ideas I had for this fic have left me. I was gonna go down the angst path but I feel bad for making them hurt so much so this turned into fluff pretty quick lol anyway, I'll try to get another chapter up within the week and thank you for reading!! :-)


	6. Twin Size Mattress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff as Ross and Smith simply enjoy being together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to write! I had a full phase of writer's block for a little while there, plus school which is keeping me busy but anyway I hope you enjoy!!

Ross sat beside Smith at a table slightly too small for four tall men, Well, three tall men and Trott. Ross had brought him along for moral support and he had unfortunately been left to sit in the seat to Mr. Smith’s right as Smith had almost jumped into the seat beside Ross with a sheepish grin.  
Ross wasn’t sure if Trott’s seat beside Smith’s dad was better or worse than his own seat, exactly facing Mr. Smith.  
The conversation wasn’t unpleasant or even all that awkward after the first while. It began to flow easily and Ross found Smith’s dad easy to talk to.  
He had taken them to quite a posh restaurant for lunch and Ross had instantly felt bad about bringing Trott as Mr. Smith had immediately taken all responsibility to pay without question.  
After lunch Ross had offered to walk Smith back to Harrow, the restaurant not being too far from the central London campus.  
“So…your dad is great,” Ross linked their hands as they walked, Smith grinning at the contact of Ross’ warm hand against his own cold one.  
“Yeah, he is pretty great,” Smith laughed, dipping his head to cover the slight redness to his cheeks.  
“I can leave you here,” Ross gestured to the gates of Harrow.  
“You can come up to my room if you like,” Smith grinned, his eyes full of hope that Ross would say yes, to which he did.  
Inside Smith had sat at the computer desk, immediately trying to sort a pile of loose paper to make the room tidier and Ross sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, fingering the zip on his jacket. He examined the room properly, it wasn’t overly special. It was quite big with a twin sized bed with camouflage covers being the most eye catching thing in the whole room. The rest of the room was quite bland, white walls and wooden floor. A couple posters lined the walls for some bands Ross had never heard of so he payed little attention. On the computer desk sat a large Apple Mac, PlayStation four and an Xbox one. Ross tried not to be jealous as he looked at the other obvious signs of Smith’s wealth.  
“I can go if you want…you seem to have a lot to do and I don’t wanna get in the way,” Ross tried to sound reassuring so Smith would know it’s okay but it didn’t work as Smith looked concerned anyway.  
“No, no. I would really like if you stayed for a bit?” Smith gave up on the paper and pushed it all into a box under the desk. “I probably won’t get to see you much during the week…”  
Ross grinned at the idea of Smith missing him, “Okay, if you’re sure,”  
Smith picked up a controller and extended it towards Ross, “You wanna play something?”  
Ross grinned and nodded, feeling slightly guilty at distracting Smith but not wanting to give up time with him either.  
A couple hours later they sat on the floor, backs against the bed, legs intertwined comfortably and controllers tossed to the side after many infuriating games of Trials which hadn’t even resulted in a clear winner. The setting sunlight broke through the gap in the curtains; illuminating rubbish which littered the floor of Smith’s room, the result of a quick run to a nearby supermarket to stock up on junk food. The game had been paused for a solid twenty minutes but a peaceful silence hung in the air, a comfortableness which rested over the two boys as they simply enjoyed each other’s company and the warmth radiating from their bodies which were closely pressed side by side. Ross’ hand traced circles on Smith’s knee and Smith rested his head back onto the bed.  
“You should stay tonight…” Smith broke the silence, “Wait…I didn’t- not like that. Like just…you know, sleep here, if you want.” He laughed and tried to will the reddening of his cheeks to stop.  
“I’d really like that,” Ross returned Smith’s awkward giggle.  
“You’d have to sneak out of here pretty early though…” Smith worried, concerned he would put Ross off the plan but Ross nodded his head.  
“I have school tomorrow anyway. I’ll get Trott to bring my uniform over so I can go straight from here to school,” Ross brewed up the plan instantly, texting Trott to confirm.

Ross woke first, the sun breaking through the curtains once more and illuminating every speck of dust in the air. He looked over at the speakers on Smith’s desk, it was only 6:45, they still had fifteen minutes before they had to get up. Ross took in their positions.  
Smith lay on his back, right arm pressed into the wall to make room for Ross who lay on his front, half on Smith’s chest, arms tucked underneath him comfortably. Smith’s other arm wrapped around Ross’ waist providing a strong barrier to stop Ross falling from the small bed. Ross’ could honestly say he had never been comfier as he gazed at the other sleeping boy. He sighed deeply, taking in the overwhelming scent of Smith as he wished the moment would never end.  
He lay his head back on Smith’s shoulder, planning on spending their last fifteen minutes in silent enjoyment.  
Smith opened his eyes, gazing down at the slightly smaller boy almost on top of him he couldn’t help but grin. He refrained from moving too much, not wanting to wake Ross who took deep peaceful breaths. Unable to resist, he tilted his head down planting a small kiss atop the head of dark hair. He felt the shift as Ross moved his head to meet Smith’s eyes,  
“Morning,” Ross grinned and Smith’s stomach fluttered, “I thought you were still asleep,”  
“Morning…”Smith couldn’t contain his own smile, stomach still fluttering, “I thought you were asleep,”  
Ross chuckled, “I could get used to waking up like this,”  
Smith bent his head down so their lips brushed lightly, “So could I,”

Their fifteen minutes of peace felt more like fifteen seconds as 45 minutes later Smith had snuck Ross into the shared showers and back and they were in his room, getting ready for the day ahead.  
“Not a bad way to start the week though,” Smith commented as Ross paced his room. He wore only boxers, borrowed from Smith, as they waited on Trott’s arrival with his school uniform. His own clothes were folded on Smith’s desk chair and Smith made a mental note to steal the hoodie to wear later.  
He checked his phone again, it was coming up to 8am and there were still no signs of Trott. Smith sighed, “I’m gonna have to get ready, I can’t be late today.” Ross nodded his understanding, smiling apologetically as if it were his fault Trott was late.  
It didn’t take long for Smith to dress, a routine that had become habit after so long. He had only put on the plain grey trousers, white button up shirt and plain black tie of his uniform, not wanting to put the full thing on in front of Ross.  
At 8:30 he had no choice, pulling on the long tail coat blazer of the uniform; he grabbed his simple brown leather shoulder bag and tossed it over his shoulder. He tried to ignore the stare from Ross as he tucked his phone into a hidden zip pocket in the bag.  
“Oh my god. Wait…do you have to wear the hat?” Ross’ eyes lit up like a child on Christmas as he tried to contain a shit eating grin.  
“Oh god. I didn’t want you to see…”  
A loud laugh boomed from Ross before he could stop himself, “Let me see!”  
Smith had never heard someone so excited and couldn’t help but grinning himself, his stomach fluttering once again at Ross’ grin.  
He knelt down beside the bed, reaching underneath until his fingers gripped the soft straw like material. In one swift motion he pulled the hat out and placed it on his head, clenching his eyes shut to avoid Ross’ face. The room was silent for a minute and he peeked one eye open to find the reason. The reason being Ross was double over in laughter, holding his own stomach like he couldn’t breathe.  
“Oh- my god. You have to show Trott, holy fuck.” Ross gasped in between laughs and Smith couldn’t help but grin as a blush spread over his face.  
Just then a knock came from the door and Smith shushed a still laughing Ross, gesturing for him to move to the other side of the room so he couldn’t be seen from the door, Smith opened it.  
A range of emotions passed on Trott’s face as he took in the sight before him. He lost it. Doubling over, he laughed so hard he cried.  
“Oh for god’s sake just come in…quickly.” Smith laughed as he pretended to be angry. He pulled the crying Trott in by the shoulder where he joined a still silently laughing Ross in the corner.

When both boys finally stopped laughing Trott took in his surroundings,  
“Sorry I’m late, I slept in…” He apologised finally, eyeing the almost naked Ross, “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything…” he winked.  
“You’re a twat, we’ve been waiting ages.” Ross laughed off the comment, taking the plastic bag of clothes from Trott.  
“Look, I’ve gotta go, I have registration in ten minutes. Just make sure the doors closed tight when you leave, yeah?” Smith smiled warmly at them and grabbed a folder off the desk and tucked it under his arm.  
“Yeah. Text me later?” Ross answered Smith, already pulling a plain white button up shirt on.  
“Yeah,” Smith hesitated, a hand on the door as he was about to leave. He crossed the room again and placed a quick kiss on Ross’ lips which was returned and with that, was gone from the room with a quick ‘bye!’

“Good night then mate?” Trott winked at Ross when Smith had left the room.  
“Shut up,” Ross rolled his eyes, biting his lip to stop a grin forming on his face, he ignored the growing butterflies in his stomach and they set off for school.

The sun filtered through the curtains and Ross snuggled deeper into the pair of strong arms that held him. He checked the speakers on the desk that shone 6:44, 16 minutes of peace today.  
This was how Ross’ days started now; he would wake up with around 15 minutes of peace to snuggle into the boy he had grown to love deeply. And the boy he had grown to love deeply would feel him snuggle in closer and tighten his arms, both of them awake, neither of them wanting to ruin their 15 minutes.  
When their fifteen minutes would come crashing to an end, which unfortunately it always did, it would end with the soft sounds of an acoustic guitar set as Smith’s alarm tone. They would painfully drag themselves from the warmth of each other’s arms where they would sneak into the showers before everyone else and head back to Smith’s room to get ready for the day.  
It had been almost six full months of waking up in Smith’s arms every day. Six full months waiting for their shared fifteen minutes and then the rest of the day just killing time until Ross could spend another fifteen minutes of peace in Smith’s arms.  
Smith had worked hard, new found motivation in Ross and got his grades up to their usual standard. His father had left for another business trip only a week after he arrived, promising to visit soon and even inviting Ross to the family house for Christmas.  
Christmas with Ross had come and went; the only Christmas Smith could remember fully enjoying. Ross’ birthday had come and went also, a hilarious day filled with pranks that had ended in the best birthday sex he had ever had.  
It was April now, meaning the sun was coming out earlier and setting later, giving them more hours to spend together in the day.  
Ross snuggled in closer to Smith’s chest as he thought about the last six months of his life and grinned, resting his head on Smith’s chest to hear his heartbeat. The arms around him tightened as the breathing of the chest underneath him shallowed and evened.  
“I love you.” He whispered into the chest underneath him, the heartbeat under his ear speeding up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so omg I cannot do the Harrow uniforms justice, especially the hat, which is why I barely even tried. Honestly this fic isn't the same without actually seeing it. I wish I could put pictures in :-(   
> Just google 'Harrow school uniforms' and you will understand omg.   
> Anyway thank you so much for reading!!   
> I know where I'm taking this whole fic better now so I promise there won't be as long of a wait between this and the next chapter!! (One day I will learn how to not ramble in the notes, I'm so sorry)


End file.
